The Rule of St Benedict says that during Lent each monk should be given a book from the library which he is to read straight through (RB48:15). Most monasteries still observe this precept, with varying customs surrounding the nature, selection and distribution of these books. At Stanbrook it has been the practice for a good […]
On January 1st we celebrate at least four things: Today is the Octave Day of Christmas. The event of the Incarnation, of Jesus Christ, fully human and fully divine, being born in time, is too mind-blowing to celebrate for just one day, so the Church celebrates for a whole week to allow us to enter […]
From the beginning the Word was of that eternity which had no beginning; we have heard him promised from the beginning of time; we have seen and touched with our hands the one who is now shown to us at the end of time. Sometimes I have noticed that God’s words arouse no interest when […]
Behold, I am doing a new thing; even now it is coming to light… Isaiah 43: 19 In the fullness of time, God sent his Son, born of a woman, that we might become his adopted children. Galatians 4: 4 The Incarnation of Jesus Christ is ‘the only new thing under the sun.’ […]
FOR MASS TIMES ONLY, please see the banner on the Home Page Compline at 7.30pm on 19, 20, 22 & 23 December CHRISTMAS EVE (Wednesday) 9.00 Mass 5:15 Vespers 10:50 Vigils MIDNIGHT MASS CHRISTMAS DAY (Thursday) 11:30 DAY MASS (Incorporating Midday Office) NB: 5:15 Vespers 7.00 Compline (Blessed Sacrament Chapel, crib) ST STEPHEN […]
As we journey through the last week of Advent, inspired by the Great ‘O’ antiphons, we anticipate that fullness of time which Christ’s birth initiates. This fullness if reflected in our Advent wreath which now contains tiny crab apples, as shown on the accompanying image. The earth has yielded its fruit, for God… has blessed […]
On this third Sunday of Advent, at the darkest time of year in Northern lands, the keynote of our celebration is JOY. The entrance chant for Mass in the Roman liturgy bids us Gaudete, ‘Rejoice!’, taking the words from St Paul’s letter to the Philippians (4: 4). After repeating this exhortation, Paul explains why we […]
In northerly latitudes we are entering the darkest fortnight of the year when daylight hours are at their shortest. When we hear world news it is easy to see this naturally occurring cycle echoed in the manmade darkness of war and all kinds of human-induced suffering. But the power of grace is deepening as we […]
This year’s Advent wreath, confected with local greenery: holly, variegated and traditional, and pine branches, is a joy to behold. While so much of nature lies dormant, these cheerful evergreens are a powerful reminder of God’s abiding presence. The single candle for the first week of Advent is a kind of preview of the Paschal […]
‘Without hope you have nothing.’ So says Graham Lee, a Grand National winning jockey after a late fall from a horse in which he was paralyzed from the neck down. The Jubilee Year of Hope is ending. The celebration passes but hope itself, a theological virtue, does not end; along with faith and charity, it […]
The Funeral of Dame Joanna Jamieson OSB (21.01.1935-13.10.2025), Abbess of Stanbrook 1983-2007 The photograph that illustrates this post was one of a series taken, at the instigation of M. Joanna, shortly after she was elected abbess in 1983, of each member of the Stanbrook community. M. Joanna is holding a branch of what seems to […]
In November our thoughts turn to who have died, especially as we commemorate All Saints, All Souls and Remembrance Sunday. Of course, we like to think that our loved ones are in heaven, but we might be anxious that they died without being fully prepared to meet God. In this season we can draw hope […]